Traveling trunk



L. STORCH TRAVELING TRUNK March 3, 1931.

Filed May 9. 1929 Fig.5

Patented Mar; 3, 1931 PATENT OFFICE mm sronon, or vmmm, AUSTBJLA TRAVELING TRUNK Application med May 9, 1929, Serial 110. 861,576, and in Austria September 1, 1998.

This invention relates to a trunk, suit-case or like container equipped with garment sup porting means, and has in view to provide a novel garment support, and to mount the I same in a'novel manner upon a case or like container, whereby various articles of wearing apparel may be folded and packed neatly. and compactly within. the container in such manner as to avoid tendency of the articles to become creased by reason of being carried within the container, and whereby, upon opening of the container, the articles may be readily accessible for individual selection and removal from the container- With the foregoing and other purposes in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view P through a container equipped with garment supporting means according to one practical embodiment of the invention, showing the container open and the garment supporting means in a projected position with respect thereto. I Figure 2 is a sectional view at right angles to Figure 1 showing the garment supporting means in elevation. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the container 1n a'partially open position and the garment supporting means in an extended position; and

Figure 4 is a detail view illustrating a slightly alternative embodiment of the invention.

In each of the figures of the drawings the container is illustrated in the form of a suitcase embodying hingedly connected sections 14 and 15, one of which constitutes the body portion and the other the lid of the container.

The sections 14 and 15 are hingedtogether along adjacent side edges thereof, and according to the embodiment of the invention illustrunk, s'uittrated in Figures 1 to 3, one of said sections, the-body section 14 for example, has pivoted to the ends thereof the inner ends ofa pair of arms 5, 5, respectively, while the other section, the lid section 15 for example, has pivoted to the ends thereofthe inner ends of.

a pair of arms 5a, 5a, respectively, the outer ends of which are pivoted to the arms 5, 5 near the outer ends of the latter. Preferably, but not necessarily, the related pairs of arms. 5, 5a atthe respective ends of the container are connected together by a spacing rod 13 which cooperates with thesaid pairs of arms 5 and 5a to provide a frame A which obviously, due to the pivotal connections of the arms 5 and 5a with one another and with the container sections 14 and 15, respectively, is swung into the container when the lid thereof is closed and is projected from the container when the lid thereof is opened.

The garment supporting unit, designated generally as B, is illustrated in the present instance in the form of an extensible and collapsible lazy-tongs structure embodying a pair of end frames,-each composed of a 7 lurality of crossed pivotally connected arms 3 and 4, and a plurality of rods 2 connecting corresponding arms of the respective end I frames.

The garment supporting unit is adapted to be mounted on the frame A for swinging movementin a folded or collapsed condition to a position within the frame A; i. e., between the respective pairs of arms 5, 5a of the frame A as illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings, and to an extended position with respect to the frame A as indicated by full lines in Figure 1, in which latter position the unit itself is extensible and collapsible, all independent of any movement of the frame A as is manifest. In other words, when the trunk, suit-case or the like is closed, the garment supporting unit, in a folded or collapsed condition, is adapted to occupy a collapsed position with respect to the frame A between the respective pairs of arms 5, 5a of said frame, as plainly indicated by the dotted line showing in Figure 1, and when the container is opened with consequent automatic projection of the frame A W frame A.

The unit B may be mounted on the frame A for swingin movement with respect there to in any suita 1e manner. For example, adjacent ends of corresponding pairs of the arms 3 and 4 at the respective ends of the unit B may be pivotally mounted on the rod 13 of the frame A as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings.

To hold the unit B against falling from an extended position with respect to the frame A, a strap or straps 20 may be provided to connect the unit B with the container, the frame A and said strap or straps serving, respectively, as'compression and tension elements to support the unit B.

Garments desi nated as 12 are adapted to be hung either dlrectly on the rods 2 or on suitable hangers supported by said rods so as to be exposed for individual selection and removal from the unit B, and in this connection it is pointed out that when the unit B is collapsed and swung within the frame A, the garments are in effect wrapped on the unit B whereby creasing of the garments is avoided. Moreover, in this connection it is pointed out that the arrangement is such that the rods 2 extend in the direction of the length of the container; i. e., in a horizontal direction when the container is carried in a natural manner, thereby to avoid packing and consequent creasing of garments supported onthe unit B such as likely would occur during carrying of the container in the event the rods extended in other than a horizontal direction.

Preferably the garment supporting unit B carries an auxiliary garment supporting frame which is rotatable relative to the unit B, said auxiliary frame being composed of end bars 8 pivotally connected intermediately within the unit B in any suitable manner and at any desired point, and connected together by rods-8a, whereby garments such as trousers, for example, may be placed on the rods 8a and folded, without creasing, by rotating the auxiliary frame within the unit B. To prevent undesirable contact between garments supported on the rods 8a of the auxiliary frame and garments hung on the rods 2, and in order to assist in holding garments on the rods 8a, a shield member 10 is pivotally mounted at the pivotal axis of the auxiliary frame by means of rods 11 so as to be swingable to confine portions of garments hung on the rods 8a between said rods and said shield member.

Obviously, instead of the garment supporting unit B'being in the form of a collapsible and extensible lazy-tongs structure comosed of a plurality of garment supporting rame elements pivotally connected with one another, said unit may be composed of only a single pair of end bars connected together by any desired number of rods on which garments may be hung. In fact, the unit B may take various different forms, and in the event of the same being in the form of a lazy-tongs structure, said unit may comprise any desired plurality of frame elements pivotally connected with one another.

It .is not essential to the invention that the frame A be connected with the container for automatic projection and retraction from and into the same when the container is opened and closed. To the contrary, the frame A may be pivoted to either of the container sections to be moved manually into and out of the container when the latter is open. This is illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawing wherein the frame, designated as A consists of only a single arm 16 at each end of the container pivoted for example to the lid 14 of the container. Links 18, 18 are pivoted, to the respective container sections and to one another as at 17, and the disposition of the pivots 17 relative to the pivots of the arms 16 is such that the pivots 17 form abutments against which side edges of the arms 16 rest when the frame A is swung outward whereby said frame is sustained in an extended position relative to the container. On the other hand, any other suitable means may be employed to support the frame A in its extended position, and in any event the garment supporting unit carried by the frame A may be of the form illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 or of any other preferred type.

I claim:

1. In combination with a container including a body portion and a hinged lid, a frame comprising members 'pivotally connected with one another and with the container body and lid, respectively, to fold within the container when the lid thereof is closed and to be projected from the container when the lid thereof is opened, and a collapsible and extensible garment supporting unit carried by said frame for movement with the latter into and from the container, said unit being extensible and collapsible relative to said frame and independent of movement of said frame when the latter is in a projected position relative to said container.

2. In combination with a container, a frame pivoted thereto for swinging movement to a position within the container and to an extended position projecting outside of the container, and a garment supporting unit pivotally mounted on said frame for movement bodily to folded and projected ositions with respect thereto independently movement of said frame, said garment supporting unit comprising an extensible and collapsible lazy.- tongs structure which is extensible and collapsible independently of movement of said frame.

l0 3. In combination with a container, a frame pivoted thereto for swinging movement to a position within the container and to an extended position projecting outside of the container, and a garment supporting unit pivotally mounted on said frame for swinging movement to folded and extended ositions with respect to said frame indepen ently of movement of said frame.

4. In combination with a container, a frame pivoted thereto for swinging movement to a position within the container and to an extended position projecting outside of the container, 'a garment supporting unit pivotally mounted on said frame for swinging move-- ment to folded and extended positions with respect to said frame independently of movement of said frame, and means whereby opening of the lid of said container effects projection of said frame from the container.

3o 5. ha garment su porter of the class described, a plurality of frame elements pivotally connected together to provide an extensible and collapsible lazy-tongs structure, and

an auxiliary frame element mounted for rotation within one of said first mentioned frame elements for cooperation therewith to fold a garment supported by said frame elements. 4

6. In a garment supporter of the class de- 40 scribed, a plurality of frame elements pivotally connected to ether to provide an extensible and collapsi le lazy-tongs structure, an auxiliary frame element mounted for rotation within one of said first mentioned frame 5 elements for cooperation therewith to fold a garment supported by'said frame elements, and a shield member mounted to swing across an end of said auxiliary frame element to confine portions of a garment between the end of said auxiliary frame element and said shield member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LAZAR STORCH. 

